Vol. 473 No. 5
23 Mr. E. Byrne asked the Minister for Education the progress, if any, which has been made towards fulfilling the recommendation in the report of the steering committee on the future development of higher education that the proportion of mature students be progressively increased to 2,200 full-time students by the year 2000; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [1748/97]
Preliminary data from colleges indicate that the intake of mature students in the 1996-97 academic year is at least in the order of 1,500. This represents significant progress towards meeting the recommendation in the steering committee report.
In this connection the Higher Education Authority allocated £240,000 in 1996 for initiatives being taken by the universities to assist mature students. These initiatives include programmes for the training of tutors, evaluation of foundation and training courses, orientation activities and tutor/advisor networks.
In addition, mature students could also benefit under initiatives being taken by the universities in the area of continuing education and training. The Higher Education Authority provided £210,000 in respect of these initiatives in 1996.
Furthermore, over 6,200 additional university places will be created by the year 2000 by the joint private sector-exchequer £60 million capital initiative. Over the same period, a further 1,000 places will be created in the regional technical college/DIT sector with the establishment of the first phases of Dún Laoghaire regional technical college and Tipperary Rural and Business Development Institute with funding from the 1994-99 European Regional Development Fund programme. The creation of these additional third level places by the end of the century will enable mature student intake to third level to increase further.
